When he was a child, a friend of mine whose Jewish parents and he were on an elevator with an African-American man said, “Look Mommy, a Schvartzer!” which is a pejorative term, in the category of the “N word.” His mom shushed and rushed him off the elevator at the next floor. Kids don’t know …
The Beauty of Balance (Part 1 of 2)
“Heaven have mercy on us all - Presbyterians and Pagans alike - for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending.” Herman Melville I’ve never been mistaken for an expert practitioner of what we might call “balance,” but I believe it exists and that it is a quality to be …
Catching and Casting Light (Part 1)
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. C.S. Lewis I once had an old dog that was so blind that she kept bumping into the furniture. It wasn’t that there wasn’t enough light, but she just …
On being neighborly (Who do I have to love and how much?) Part 3 of 5ish
“Regardless of their record or character, all human beings have an irreducible glory and significance to them, because God loves them.” Timothy Keller “The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the …
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Recovering from Preacher Talk
By “Preacher Talk,” I’m not talking about pronouncing “God” like it’s spelled “Gaaaawwwd,” or about that practice of adding an extra breath-syllable to the end of each phrase: “God is good–huh! His Word is true–huh! Let’s do his will–huh!” Then there’s that certain preacherly tone that sounds like no one ever talks in real life. …
barney wiget 